Sheriff seeking used cell phones for special program

Secure the Call 911 provides cell phones for emergency use only battered women’s shelters, domestic violence organizations, senior citizens groups, school crossing guards, school bus drivers, and other groups that demonstrate a need

Comment

Taft Midway Driller - Taft, CA

Writer

Posted Jan. 28, 2013 at 12:57 PM
Updated Jan 28, 2013 at 1:10 PM

Posted Jan. 28, 2013 at 12:57 PM
Updated Jan 28, 2013 at 1:10 PM

The Kern County Sheriff’s Office is excited to announce its participation in the Secure the Call 911 cell phone drive.

Secure the Call is a non profit organization that collects and prepares used cell phones to distribute free to citizens who need a cell phone for the purpose of calling 911 in the event of an emergency.

Secure the Call is a coalition of over 300 partners including police and sheriff’s departments, battered women’s shelters, domestic violence organizations, senior citizens groups, school crossing guards, school bus drivers, and other groups that demonstrate a need for emergency only 911 cell phones.

Secure the Call never charges its partners for the cell phones it provides and counts on citizens to supply the used cell phones needed to make the program a success.

The Sheriff’s Office is hosting a collection site for used, unwanted cell phones to be donated to Secure the Call for distribution.

Once phones are donated the Sheriff’s Office will ship the phones to Secure the Call. Secure the Call collects the phones, cleans them, electronically removes all information in the phone, resets them for 911 use only, and then distributes them through partnerships throughout the country.

Citizens interested in donating used, unwanted cell phones can donate them at the Sheriff’s Office collection site at the Taft substation, or at the Sheriff’s Office Headquarters Facility, 1350 Norris Rd. in Bakersfield in the lobby of Building A.